Staff Pick

This coming-of-age story absolutely shines. Charlie is your average teenager trying to navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence, yet he's so much more than that. Recognizing something special in Charlie, a teacher feeds him literature and tries to guide him into growth and maturity. Charlie has a bit more on his plate than he knows what to do with, however. Chbosky manages to dodge stereotypes while mining his characters for the real humanity underneath the surface. This tiny novella delivers a huge, heart-warming story. Teenage years have never seemed so poignant, nor so beautiful!Recommended by Dianah, Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective... but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative new voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.

Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.

Review:

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower is part of an MTV Books series that targets teen-age readers. But it is more mature than most young adult literature and can be enjoyed by older readers as well." Denise Kersten, USA Today

Review:

"Charlie develops from an observant wallflower into his own man of action, and, with the help of a therapist, he begins to face the sexual abuse he had experienced as a child. This report on his life will engage teen readers for years to come." School Library Journal

Synopsis:

A series of letters to an unknown correspondent reveals the coming-of-age trials of a high-schooler named Charlie.

About the Author

Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. His first film, The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. He is the recipient of the Abraham Polonsky Screenwriting Award for his screenplay Everything Divided as well as a participant in the Sundance Institute's filmmakers' lab for his current project, Fingernails and Smooth Skin. Chbosky lives in New York. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is his first novel.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Average customer rating based on 69 comments:

Cobie Quinlan, January 3, 2014 (view all comments by Cobie Quinlan)
Chbosky's story is well-written. I especially enjoyed reading it because of the charismatic style that the author has. I haven’t read many good books that are written in this ‘diary’ style. Since I am one to usually avoid those after experience, I found that after reading the first few pages, this one was different. Charlie was an honest, mature boy who seemed to see things differently. I loved his shy opinions and thoughts about things, and his cute way of writing that made me laugh reading some entries. Stephen Chbosky's style seems to be less descriptive, more philosophical, but still easy enough to read and understand. He uses interesting words I found myself sometimes looking up in the dictionary, but simple ones too that are comfortable to the reader. I immensely enjoyed reading "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I’m looking forward to checking out another works of his.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)

Cristal, December 19, 2013 (view all comments by Cristal)
When I finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chybosky, I sat there in a stunned silence. The book was strongly powerful in a manner that diary or letter style books rarely achieve. There is usually a sense of implausibility in those types of books that Charlie's character completely negated. When trying to describe Charlie the mind suddenly reels, he's honest. Completely and utterly genuine in his perceptions and most of his actions. Charlie is also and emotional basket case that somehow manages to attract a special group of friends to him. A group of voluntary outcasts that go through the same problems teenagers face everywhere. Sex, drugs, relationships and acceptance figure heavily into everyone's lives, despite their personal beliefs on those subjects. I would like to mention Stephen's portrayal of Patrick, I was pleased to see the sbuject of homosexuality treated in such a plain manner. It was accepted as a fact and only the feelings invovled in the situations were important. I would recomment this book to a wide range of people, old or young, straight or gay, conservative or liberal. It was a pleasure to read and I enjoyed it immensely.

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)

shallgal, February 1, 2013 (view all comments by shallgal)
This book it lovely! I encourage people to read it before watching the movie, it's far better. The plot allows for real character depth, and the story is very original. I found myself falling in love with this novel every time I picked it up!

Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No(6 of 12 readers found this comment helpful)

This coming-of-age story absolutely shines. Charlie is your average teenager trying to navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence, yet he's so much more than that. Recognizing something special in Charlie, a teacher feeds him literature and tries to guide him into growth and maturity. Charlie has a bit more on his plate than he knows what to do with, however. Chbosky manages to dodge stereotypes while mining his characters for the real humanity underneath the surface. This tiny novella delivers a huge, heart-warming story. Teenage years have never seemed so poignant, nor so beautiful!

by Dianah

"Review"
by Denise Kersten, USA Today,
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower is part of an MTV Books series that targets teen-age readers. But it is more mature than most young adult literature and can be enjoyed by older readers as well."

"Review"
by School Library Journal,
"Charlie develops from an observant wallflower into his own man of action, and, with the help of a therapist, he begins to face the sexual abuse he had experienced as a child. This report on his life will engage teen readers for years to come."

"Synopsis"
by Gardners,
A series of letters to an unknown correspondent reveals the coming-of-age trials of a high-schooler named Charlie.

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